Suwon

Suwon

Suwon, city (1995 pop. 2,449,139), capital of Gyeonggi (Kyonggi) prov., NW South Korea. It is an important communications point and a local agricultural research center. Suwon has textile mills and electronics and machinery factories. Suwon has many historic sites, including Suwonsong Fortress (18th cent.).

Suwon (Suwon-si) is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Seoul and is one of the most populous of Seoul's satellite cities. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety".

Japanese occupation

In 1592, during the Japanese invasions of Korea, Commander Yi Kwang, attempted to check the Japanese progress by launching his army toward the capital city, Seoul (at the time called Hanseong). The army was withdrawn, however, after news that the city had already been sacked reached the commander. As the army grew in size to 50,000 men with the accumulation of several volunteer forces, Yi Kwang and the irregular commanders reconsidered their aim to reclaim the capital, and led the combined forces north to Suwon.

Construction of Hwaseong

Later during the Joseon Dynasty, King Jeongjo made an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to make Suwon the nation's capital in 1796. Part of this project was the construction of Hwaseong Fortress, a fortified wall running around the entire city partially intended to guard the tomb of his father, Prince Sado, which he had located there.

The walls were one of Korea's first examples of paid labour, (corvée labour being common previously). The walls still exist today, though they, together with the fortress, were damaged severely during the Korean War.

Hwaseong was originally constructed under the guidance of philosopher Jeong Yag-yong. In 1800, shortly after the death of King Jeongjo, a white paper detailing the construction of the fortress was published. This proved invaluable during its reconstruction in the 1970s.

The fortress walls once encircled the entire city, but modern urban growth has seen the city spread out far beyond the fortress. The walls are now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site., and often used in materials promoting the city.

There are a few hills around Suwon. The highest of these is Gwanggyosan to the north, on the border with Yongin, though those to the east are more numerous. Gwanggyosan is 582 metres above sea level.

Most of the streams passing through Suwon originate on Gwanggyosan or other nearby peaks. Since Suwon is bounded to the east by other hills, the streams, chiefly the Suwoncheon (and one notable tributary being the Jungbocheon), flow southwards through the city, eventually emptying into the Yellow Sea at Asan Bay. The entirety of Suwon is drained in this manner.

Demographics

50.2% of the population in Suwon is composed of male residents. Indeed, it is only in Paldal-gu that the number of female residents is greater than that of males. 1.85% of the population is of foreign nationality, the highest concentration (2.3%) being in Paldal-gu. Further information regarding the residents of each district is shown below.

Overall, the population of Suwon is increasing, but the domestic population is falling. For example, the Korean population of Suwon fell by 585 from December 2007 to January 2008. However, both genders of the foreign population increased in number in each gu in the same time period. It appears to be a pattern that the foreign population is increasing, as Suwon also saw a 13% increase in the number of registered foreigners residing in the city in the first half of 2007. The only gu currently showing an increase in population is Gwonseon-gu (though the same was until recently true of Paldal-gu), while all others have falling number of residents, especially Jangan-gu and Yeongtong-gu.

There are also 2 junior colleges, 33 high schools, 37 middle schools, 81 primary schools and 107 kindergartens in Suwon.

Suwon has three schools devoted to special education, namely the Jahye Institute, the School of Suwon Seokwang and Dream Tree Special School, and also has wings of mainstream schools for students requiring special education, being the Special Education School of Suwonbuk Middle School, the Special Education School of Suwon Girls' Middle School.

As in most Korean cities, there is an abundance of small private schools offering education in a wide variety of subjects.

Industry

The main industrial employer in Suwon is Samsung. In fact, Samsung began in Seoul in 1938, but at the beginning of the Korean War, inventories were so damaged that the founder, Lee Byeongcheol (이병철) was forced to start business again in 1951, this time in Suwon. Though Samsung Electronics was founded in Daegu in 1969, it now has it headquarters and a large factory complex in central Suwon and is the largest employer in the city.

Culture

Hwaseong Fortress is Suwon's most notable attraction. Built in 1796, the entire city used to be encircled by the walls, but now Suwon has expanded beyond this boundary. Hwaseong is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Haenggung Palace, within Hwaseong, is another noteworthy historical attraction. On completion of the Bundang Line extension, Suwon will also be only a few stops from Singal, the location of the Korean Folk Village, and the Everland theme park is nearby in Yongin.

Recreation

The path around the walls of Hwaseong Fortress is popular with locals and tourists for sightseeing and keeping fit. Manseok Park in northern Suwon has a 1200m track around a lake and is often crowded with walkers, cyclists and roller-bladers. Other facilities at Manseok Park include tennis (indoor & outdoor), soccer (dirt and artificial turf) and the Suwon X-Games skatepark. Various other parks are dotted around Suwon and several ski resorts and hiking trails are within easy reach of the city.

Entertainment

Suwon has three major multiplex theaters: Megabox and CGV theaters in the Suwon Station complex in the city center, as well as Kinex 5 in the district of Yeongtong-gu. There are also other theaters that show fewer foreign films: Cinema Town, Taehan Theater, Piccadilly Theater, Jungang Theater, Royal Theater, Dano Theater and Dano Art Hall.

Woncheon in the Yeongtong-gu district also has two amusement parks, Woncheon Greenland and Woncheon Lakeland.

Other amenities

Suwon City Council prides itself on the condition of its public lavatories. It has made efforts in recent years to make new lavatories clean and to improve existing facilities using Japan as a model, and now offers visitors guided bus tours of the municipal restrooms.

The Yeongdong Expressway (Number 50) passes through Suwon and two exits on this motorway lie within the city limits, being North Suwon and East Suwon. Suwon is also served by the Suwon exit of the Gyeongbu Expressway (Number 1), though this lies a short distance east of the Suwon's limits, near Singal in the city of Yongin. As with most Korean cities, taxis are plentiful.

Media

There are two newspapers based in Suwon. These are the Gyeonggi Daily (경기일보) and, since 1960, the Gyeongin Daily (경인일보). The former is based in Jangan-gu, with the latter's offices being in Paldal-gu. Neither offers news in foreign languages.

Military

The Air Force has a base in Suwon. This was used by the United States Air Force during the Korean War, though the nearest U.S. air base is Osan, in Songtan, Pyeongtaek. The base is now occupied mostly by the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force), though the US Army houses half of a battalion there presently, and there are a limited number of US Air Force personnel.

Food

Suwon is famous for Suwon galbi, a variation on the style beef short rib enjoyed throughout Korea. The city also has the same variety of Korean dishes served throughout the peninsula and has a wide variety of restaurants serving food from outside Korea.

Groceries are widely available, both in small independent grocers' shops and in larger stores such as HomePlus, of which Suwon has three branches, E-mart and Lotte Mart. Most of these larger stores incorporate a food court in which can be found a variety of dishes.

There is a also a variety of foreign restaurants in the city. These include T.G.I. Friday's, Bennigan's, Outback Steakhouse and VIPS, serving steak among other dishes. To cater to the desires of the numerous Indian employees of Samsung Electronics, there are a few Indian guesthouses and restaurants in the nearby area. There are also vegetarian restaurants in the city.